Halibut Steaks with Braised Leeks
I know, I know. Where have I been? Well, I am actually house sitting for my Moma while she is in Costa Rica. She is retiring there, so visiting may times BEFORE she retires is a must.
I wasn’t invited (boo!), but she does have a hot tub which is an added “vacation-like” bonus. It is also good for Cashew because he does have a major love interest in my Moma’s teacup poodle, Zoe. But, alas, the excitement dwindles when we are stuck with dismal rain here in Seattle. Being in a hot tub just isn’t as fun when your head is cold. Read the rest of this entry »
Nearly Spring Salad
I always get confused when my favorite food magazines start to tempt me with a SALAD on the cover. Am I the only person who thinks this is weird? Yet, I still pick up the magazine and think, “Oh! Yum. A SALAD.”
What happened to braised short ribs with gremolata, a huge stack of buckwheat pancakes with a maple marionberry sauce, or a rich citrus-glazed cake.
Nevertheless. I have to say it worked. I bought the magazine on Saturday and perused through some of the recipes and it left me with this conclusion: Spring produce is coming, and I want a SALAD.
What do you crave when Spring arrives?
Braised Lamb Shanks with Curried Lentils
I get far too excited to have dinner parties. I think it is because every time I have one, I remember when my Mama used to throw her famous dinner parties when I was a child. I would watch her prep all day long and be in her bathrobe until 15 minutes before the party started. She knew that when she said 7pm, people would show at 7:45 at the earliest. Maybe it was that they knew she would never be ready. But, it was unspoken, and it worked.
I was raised in small town in Virginia, but Mother grew up in California and Boston. She threw a great party, with people drinking, eating, and laughing until the wee hours of the morning. We would always go to the recycling center the next day and just chuck wine bottle after wine bottle into the glass bin. She had a dinner club just like I do, but she also loved to entertain her co-workers, girlfriends, and family. I feel that I now carry that torch. My Mom doesn’t remember the last time she threw a dinner party, but she truly enjoys when I have her over for dinner. Oh, how the roles reverse. She also promised that when I get a bigger house she will give me her cookbook collection. And by collection, I mean small library.
Beet and Avocado Salad with Roasted Chicken
My Mama once told me that her best conversations were had after dinner, picking at the remains of the salad bowl. 
Erik and I have yet to sit at our dinner table for a long time. I think it is the chairs. So, our picking happens in the kitchen during the cleanup. And the conversation, well not so much. For as much as I love to cook, and as much as we love to eat, and as much as we LOVE to talk, it just doesn’t happen at the dinner table for us. We are silently stuffing our faces, and racing to get to the couch to relax after our busy days.
If we need to “talk” about something, or just need time to ourselves as a couple, we go out to dinner. Then distractions like plating the food, photographing, the dirty dishes, or Cashew begging does not get in our way. We sit, relax, and talk for hours while the staff is willing to serve us, clean up after us, and offer us dessert. But, then it is inappropriate to pick out of the salad bowl. Hmmmm…..
Maybe we need to invest in some comfortable chairs.
Sunday Night Pork Shoulder Ragu
I have never chopped onions and garlic at 8am. Never.
But because of my plans for Sunday, I knew I had to get an early start on this dish. I did all of the normal protocol: chop, saute, simmer, scrape the brown bits, but when it came to cooking on the stove for 2 hours, I just didn’t have time for that. So, I heated the oven to 250 degrees, put a lid on my dutch oven and left my pork shoulder to do what it does best. I got home at 4:00, 8 hours later, and I smelled the ragu down the hallway of my building. I came in and opened the oven. Took the lid off, and began to stir. The pork just shredded. Read the rest of this entry »
Rainbow Chard and Butternut Calzone
I got to jump on a trampoline yesterday.
I felt like a little kid again. Yet, I realized I am far less flexible and agile as I once was. I have memories of summer afternoons in Virginia jumping for hours in the neighborhood. Attempting (and succeeding) at straddle splits and forward flips.
By the way, forward flips were not attempted yesterday. My insurance would probably not cover that. Read the rest of this entry »
Three Bean Chocolate Chili
Never, in the history of my MANY Nutcrackers with Pacific Northwest Ballet, has a show ever been cancelled. Until yesterday. Yes! Seattle has 8 inches of snow. Therefore, the city shuts down.
I am from the East Coast, so this “armageddon-like” attitude about snow just makes me laugh, but I did not complain when I got an email from my boss yesterday morning saying that we were not doing the 1pm Matinee performance.
Erik took it upon himself to give me my afternoon plans now that my show was cancelled. He wanted me to bake (pumpkin bread and zucchini bread) and make my classic chili and cornbread. This chili was one of the first successful dishes that I ever made when I first learned how to cook, and a really interesting tidbit it is that Erik adores this chili, even though it is meat-free.
Also, the best part about this chili is the not so “secret” ingredient: Chocolate. It pairs well with the chili powder adding an extra dimension of richness, and depth of flavor. Also, the best way to make this dish is to use 3 different kinds of beans. It makes the chili beautiful in color.
What have you been doing on your snow days?
Beef Tenderloin with Shallot Port Reduction
Randomly, I had a Friday night show off of Nutcracker. This is about as rare as seeing two shooting stars in a row! So, I decided to use my time wisely and utilize leftover ingredients that I had in my house to create this dish. It was one of those “a little of this, and a little of that” experiments.
Sometimes, those “a little of this, and a little of that” dishes end up getting thrown out and we order a pizza, but this one actually seemed to work out. I am pretty sure I just came up with what I am going to be serving my Mom, and brother for Christmas dinner.
And, all on a Friday night OFF from “cracking the nut”…..
Chitarra with Sausage and Rainbow Chard
This is how the conversation went as Erik and I simultaneously brushed our teeth in the bathroom in the morning…
Erik: “What are you planning on making for dinner tonight, Frauline Fizz (don’t ask)?”
Me: ”I was thinking a pasta with Sausage, Feta, Currants, Pine Nuts, and (under my breath with a slight cough) Swiss Chard.”
Erik: “Oh….you know I really don’t prefer Swiss Chard, Fizz.”
Me: “Well then you can pick it out or better yet, I will eat it off your plate. (Rolling my eyes but secretly smirking inside).”
Luckily, I didn’t have to watch Erik pick out the chard! He loved this dish because the Rainbow Chard was braised with the spicy sausage and sweet onions for about 10 minutes in chicken stock. This must be the trick! I was so impressed that I could make a dish where he liked the Swiss Chard that I knew I could find other converts, like our best friend Dane. Watch out!
I think as long as food ingredients are prepared well, most people will like ANYTHING. I have eaten pork brains, veal thymus and pancreatic glands, and even goose liver. But, with fancy dish names like cervelato, pate, and sweetbreads, it would be hard to turn down these spectacular creations. I had most of these dishes in Paris. I made sure not to ask what the English translation was until I came back to the states, and researched it on Wikipedia.
That makes Swiss Chard look very tame in my opinion…..
